Ankit Misra- The CEO of Chase shared the idea and features of their unique platform with The Global Hues

Chase is helping the 400M+ millennial generation pursue their interests and passions like Photography, Content Writing, Social Media, Design, Fashion, and many more. This is enabled through short video content, interactive courses, and a powerful community all on the platform www.whatsyourchase.com.

Transforming the outlook of education

Chase is democratizing opportunity for all Indians – for the first time, people from small towns can follow through on talent and interests in the field of their passion. This is a game-changer in terms of how the next generation thinks about education and career. The company is promoting a culture of more exploration, application & industry-oriented learning community, and social interaction as part of the learning process.

Scaling the start-up idea to execution

Ankit believes that Chase is a very data-driven company. That is probably the best way to make big decisions quickly, and the key to good execution.

Unique features that differentiate Chase from other Ed-tech companies

“We are building a 360-degree product experience that offers users personalized content recommendations, interactive courses, networking opportunities with like-minded people, internship/work opportunities, etc,” said Ankit. The whole concept of Chase is very different from various ed-tech companies where the landscape is very linear. Go to the site, choose a course, and in the process many people simply forget about the course!

The Clientele

The company’s clients and customers are fondly called chasers. They typically include young folks aged between 16-24 belonging to Generation Z and Millennials. In Indian education, trust with the brand is a very important lever for any sort of purchase or engagement with that brand. The company ensures that chasers go through this journey before making any purchase decision.

They provide free short video content and all month around free live webinars which helps in building the trust of users with the mentors and the content produced by them. When customers experience the value-add, they develop a trusted bond with Chase. The whole ecosystem is designed to consistently engage all the clients, and typically once they are part of the system they stay engaged.

Ensuring the best workforce available to teach students

Ed-tech is still fairly new to many teachers. Chase works with a mentor and creator network of 200+ people that collaborates with them on the content. These mentors are successful practitioners who are happy to help the community along with monetizing their learnings. Chase is not an open marketplace, they curate each mentor on the platform to ensure a high level of quality for all content that’s offered by them.

Impact of New Education Policy on business quality and services

Ankit is excited to see the policy developments as per NEP 2020. He loves the thought process, particularly the focus that shifted more on diverse learning, lesser stress on exams, and increasing digital interactions. “These are all very good and progressive adaptations and in-sync with how we want the next generation of students to have a more open mindset and a broader range of opportunities,” said Ankit.

Impact of Covid-19

The graph of growth saw a sudden hike in engagement during covid-19. However, if the graph will keep rising after the schools reopen or not depends on the business model. Certain companies are built on larger hypotheses. They will be least affected by changing scenarios, in other words, will remain ‘Covid proof’.

Chase belongs to the category of companies whose model is not impacted whether schools are shut or open. The business models that are developed to capitalize on the fact that schools are shutting down will need to evolve faster to stay relevant in the market. Overall the sector is expected to keep growing in India with continued growth in digital adoption.

Company and Team Ethos

What’s your Chase has a very strong backbone of core values including:

First-principles thinking.
Disagree but Commit 100%.
Improve 1% everyday – anyone who is a part of the organization (full-time/part-time) is encouraged by the company to follow these simple principles.

The biggest challenge faced by the Ed-tech sector

The biggest challenge faced by the ed-tech sector today, in Ankit’s view, is excessive and unrequired noise, opinions, and information overload on online platforms and social media. It is really hard to communicate a value proposition clearly to the target audience and it becomes a very critical aspect for the success of the business. Everyone has a point of view or an opinion regarding what other people should be doing or what their kid should be learning. Hence, having a very transparent differentiated brand communication with users is really important.

Chase has a very strong digital strategy across all their Social Media platforms and through all of their Campaign Messaging. They are leveraging the right influencer networks. “People find “What’s your Chase?” very catchy and connect with the brand,” explained Ankit.

Views on success

In Ankit’s view, “Success equals Impact in our world.” The company is on a progressive journey of positively impacting the lives of millions of millennials across the country, despite different economic backgrounds, and creating opportunities for them in areas of their interest. “We’ve gotten off to a good start, but the road is long,” said Ankit.

Awards and Milestones

Covered by two leading digital magazines in India
Shortlisted to be featured on a startup reality TV show – Kuberan House
Crossed the mark of 50,000+ chasers on their platform.

Visions and Future Prospects

“Our 5-year vision is to be “Linkedin for Millennial,” said Ankit. Chase is helping millennials in their professional development journey by exploring different fields, learning & mastering them, showcasing their work, and eventually getting gigs. Currently, the company is working on and solving the first two steps of this journey. However, in the future, they are expecting to expand and add the third and fourth layer i.e. showcasing millennial’s work, and eventually getting gigs on their platform as well.